Be seated. Well, it's been good
to have Brother Darwin Pruitt here with us, pastor of Grace
Baptist Church in Taylor, Arkansas, and he brought with him one of
the best cooks the world has ever seen. And I have a story
to tell about Kathy. When Anthony and I went there,
before Amy and I moved out here, we traveled up to Darvin's house
to help put in his air conditioning system. And Kathy, the whole
time, was cooking. She was in the kitchen. And in
the morning, first thing when we woke up, we had a huge breakfast.
And then we'd get about two hours of work done, and we'd turn around
and eat lunch. And then we'd get another two hours of work
done, and it'd be time to eat supper. Because we were visiting,
too. I think it took us like three
and a half days to do a one day job. So, but I tell you, it was
good. And I really appreciate you coming
and visiting with us, brother. You come preach the gospel to
us. You think I'm going to preach
from Romans 11, don't you? But I'm not. I'm going to preach
from 1 Corinthians chapter 12. I hope you'll turn with me over
there and just hold your place. I hope to talk to you this morning
about the body of Christ. I went out early this morning
about 5.30 got a cup of coffee and went
outside the motel and there's a little bitch out there and
I sat down there to drink my coffee and about ten minutes
later a middle-aged man came out sat down beside me and struck
up a conversation I mentioned how cloudy it was I said I guess
everybody in San Diego will be glad when I go home so the sun
will come back out And he asked what brought me here and I told
him. And he began to give me his religious life history. and we sat there and he told
me how that he had joined a charismatic church and uh... and gave me
all the steps to salvation that they told him about and how that
he'd come to learn better than that and uh... at any rate a
long story made short they're letting God do this and preventing
God from doing that and so on until he settled in this little
grace church here in San Diego which after he finished telling
me about it was no different than any Southern Baptist church
anywhere that I've ever been. But in all this conversation
of his salvation, he never mentioned the word mercy. He never mentioned the word grace. He never mentioned God in his
sovereignty even once. Almost on a daily basis, I meet
people and I'm reminded of the total depravity of man. Of the darkness in which he lives. The scripture said, they walk
in the vanity of their mind. Their understanding darkened,
being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance
that is in them. Every religious man, no matter
what he professes to believe, who's ignorant of the person
and work of Jesus Christ, is yet in his sins and don't know
God. The longer this man talked to
me about his relationship to God, the more he convinced me
that he didn't know God. Every worldly man with his own
philosophy and his own worldly principles and reasoning is a lost man, dead in trespasses
and sins. And dead he shall remain until
God be pleased to send him a man to tell him the truth. And then
by an act of sovereign grace, give him the will and ability
to believe that man. First Corinthians chapter 12,
verse 12. This was the state of these Corinthians
and God sent Paul to them. And he told them that. And they
were converted under his ministry. And now he's gonna talk to them
a little bit about it. He's gonna refresh their memories
about this salvation. And he tells them in verse 12,
1 Corinthians 12, 12, for as the body is one and hath many
members, and all the members of that one body being many are
one body. Are you listening? So also is
Christ. For by one spirit are we all
baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether
we be bond or free, and have been all made to drink into one
spirit. I have three simple points to
my message this morning. And I've already learned this
and you will before this is done. They are simple but they are
profound. Profound. Here's the points. What is this body that Paul's
talking about? What is this body? And how does
it get its members? Men and women get to be members
of this body. And what do those members do?
What do they do? Here's the first thing. This
needs to be established. What is this one body to which
Paul gives this analogy? Well, the last four words of
verse 12 gives us the answer. So also is Christ. This body is the body of Christ
and the body of Christ is his church. This is his elect. His church. In Colossians chapter
1, I don't want you to take my word for this, I want you to
see it in the Word of God. In Colossians chapter 1, verse
18, Paul writes, Christ is the head of the body, the church. the church. In Ephesians chapter
1 verses 22 and 23 he tells us that God the Father gave Christ
to be head over all things to the church which is his body
the fullness of him that filleth all in all. Whenever Paul sums up the fall
of man and the salvation of God's elect, he only speaks of two
men. He don't talk about Darwin, or
Eric, or Fred, or Mike. He talks about Adam, and he talks
about Christ. And he goes back and he tells
us what Adam did and what Christ did. He tells us who Adam was
and he tells us who Christ is. Adam and Christ. The first man
Adam, he said, was made a living soul. And the last Adam made
a quickening spirit. The first man is of the earth
earthy. The second man is the Lord from
heaven. As is the earthy, such are they
also that are earthy, and as is the heavenly, such are they
also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image
of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
As in Adam all die, even so those in Christ shall all be made alive. Adam is the federal head of all
mankind. His fall in the garden plunged
this whole race into sin and condemnation. Every man, woman,
and child born of Adam is born in sin, comes forth from the
womb speaking lies. He goes astray, David said, as
soon as he be born. Speaking lies. In Romans chapter
five, verse 12, it says, by one man, sin entered into the world
and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men for that
all have sinned. He tells us that by the offense
of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation. By one man's
disobedience, many were made sinners. And he tells us that
sin reigns through the fall of Adam unto death. But here's the believer's hope. Christ is the federal head of
all God's elect. By the offense of one, judgment
came upon all men, all those represented by him, to condemnation. Even so, by the righteousness
of one, the free gift came upon all men, all those represented
in Christ, unto justification of life. Jesus Christ is the
federal head and representative of God's elect. His personal
body is a living testimony of this spiritual body. As the Son
of God took to himself a fleshly body and became one by divine
union, so he took to himself those given him of the Father
and by covenant union became one with them. He was not separate
from his body when he walked this earth. His body and his
spirit were one. God and man united in one body. One person, one glorious person. You can't call him man and you
can't call him God. He's the God-man. That's as close
a description as I've ever read. United in one. His body and his
spirit and his mind and his heart, one in this body. And that body is a testimony
of this spiritual body. And he's one with his body. Huh? God in you. Huh? Paul said, work out your own
salvation. Both people got rid of an article
not too long ago where they explained that way. I was thinking to myself,
such foolishness. Paul said, work out your own
salvation, do it in fear and trembling, for it's God who worketh
in you, both to will and to do of his good pleasure. He won
with his body. You don't talk about his body
and without a head. And what would be a head on this
earth without a body? This is the fullness of him,
Paul said, who filleth all in all. One. One. And his personal body is
a living testimony of his spiritual body as the Son of God took to
himself a fleshly body and came one by divine union so he took
to himself those given to him by the Father. Listen to this
high priestly prayer he prayed in John 17 verse 21. Father that they all may be one Talking about his people, his
body, members of this body. That they all may be one as,
now get hold of this, I told you it was gonna be profound. As thou, Father, art in me, and
I in thee. That's how much oneness there
is in this body. that they also may be one in
us, that the world may believe that thou hast sent me, and the
glory which thou gavest me I've given them. And I gave it to
them that they might be one even as we are one. I in them, and thou in me. that they may be made pretty
good guys. Ain't what that says, is it?
Perfect in one. And that the world may know that
thou has sent me and has loved them as thou has loved me. Man. The body of Christ is the
church of the living God, made up of countless members, more
than the stars of the heavens or the sands of the seashore.
Yet a specific number represented in the book of Revelations as
the 144,000, yet immediately afterward recognized as a number
that no man can number. Why is this body and this head
so important? Because without Christ, our federal
head and substitute, we have nothing. Nothing. Oh, I can have religion. All you have to do to have religion
and make a decision, one more and go to church. That's all
you have to do. You can stay home and be religious. It doesn't
take the work of God to be religious. I was religious for years before
I ever knew God. Without Him, we had nothing.
We had no righteousness. Because of God are you in Him
who has made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification,
and redemption. Without Him, I had no sanctification.
Without Him, I had no wisdom. Without him I have no priest,
he's the high priest, no sacrifice for sin. And as Fred said a while ago,
salvation is by substitution and representation. As our physical
body has many members, fingers, toes, eyes, hands, feet, noses,
ears, and they all being many are one body, so also is Christ. What Christ was when he came,
we are in him. As he was in the world, so are
we. Isn't that what the scripture says? His life is my life. I noticed
when you read this, I want to read it again. Because Henry
used to read it exactly the way you read it. But I think the translators are
right in the way they printed it. In Ephesians chapter one. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as he has
chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and without blame. And then you paused and you took
that last statement and put it on the next verse. Let's leave
it where it is. Listen to this. That you should
be holy and without blame before Him in love. There's not a person
in this place this morning who would want, if I could put it
on a video screen and show how much love you have for Christ,
you'd be ashamed to let anybody see it. But in his son, in my
head, as a member of this body, I sit before God, holy, without
blame, in perfect love. Because that obedience could
not have been accomplished without love. The whole law hinges on
those first two commandments, which are love. And I sit before
him in love. And you can rightly read it exactly
as he did, in love having predestinated us. Without Christ, our federal head
and substitute, we have nothing. We don't even have love to God. What Christ was when he came,
we are in him. His life is my life, his obedience,
my obedience, his death, my death, his resurrection, my resurrection,
his reign, my reign. And so we're bickering about
who baptized who over here in Corinthians? And, well, Apollos
baptized me, he's an orator, you know. Paul baptized me, and
then one old guy had a little age to him, he said, Christ baptized
me, you know, and on and on and on with these things. Paul said,
don't you know the world is yours? Huh? You figured that out yet? If you're in Christ, the world
is yours. It's yours. If I needed a million
dollars, he'd give it to me. I don't need it. I don't need
it. A million dollars would ruin me. Huh? I'd be out on the beach with
a little catamaran somewhere. It'd ruin me. But the world is
mine. It's mine. I'm seated with Christ
in the heavenlies. He sits on the throne. This world's
mine. Everything it has is for me.
He rules and reigns and changes governments and builds them up
and tears them down for his elect. That's the state of God's elect
and the hope of all them that believe. Paul said, for ye are
dead and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ who
is our life shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him
in glory. All right, here's the next thing.
That's the body, one with him. Though also is Christ and all
these members, all these various members, all having a different
function, all doing this and doing that and something else.
They're all one with him, inseparable from him. Now, how does a sinful, depraved,
condemned, ignorant son of Adam get into this representative
body? How do you get in there? Well,
let me give you several things. First of all, by divine election. Of him, 1 Corinthians 1.30, of
him are ye in Christ Jesus. That's the only way you can get
in. God the Father chose you and put you in that body. Put
you in that body. It's of God's choosing, of God's
free grace, and not in any way deserving. I get so tired of
hearing Southern Baptists talk about God looking down through
the telescope of time and seeing who would and would not choose
him. What kind of God do you got? He needs a telescope? You reckon his eyesight's bad? You know how come God knows the
end from the beginning? Because He ordains everything
in between. He didn't say He knew the end
from the beginning. He said, I declare the end from
the beginning. That's what He said. Romans chapter 11 verse 5 says
that as it was in the days of Elijah, you remember down that
cave, I'm only one Lord, I'm left here alone. I'm left here
alone. The Lord said, no, you're not
alone. There are thousands, 5,000, thousands. As it was in the days of Elijah,
even so at this present time also, There is a remnant according
to the election of grace. And if by grace, then it's no
more works, otherwise grace is no more grace. Salvation is not
according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace,
which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. God put us in Christ. Secondly,
we're put in Christ by a vital union of faith. He quickened
us together with Christ before the world began and accomplished
our redemption in him that, that is in order that, in the ages
to come. He might show the exceeding riches
of his grace and his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
For by grace are you saved through faith. And that not of yourself,
it's the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should
bow. For we're his workmanship. We're
his workmanship. Peter sent his greetings to the
churches scattered abroad who had lacked precious faith with
him. He prayed for grace and peace to be multiplied unto them
through the knowledge of God and of Jesus his Lord. Now watch
this, 2 Peter 1.3. According Boy, you need to look that word
up sometime. 2 Peter 1.3, according as his divine
power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life
and godliness through the knowledge of him that hath called us to
glory and virtue. And then in our text, in 1 Corinthians
12, 13, it said, for by one spirit are we all baptized into one
body. That mean we enter that body
by water baptism? Not what that's talking about,
is it? Well how does the Holy Spirit
baptize us into Christ? How does that work? What is Holy
Spirit baptism? When I baptize, we have a baptismal
pool there and I can walk around behind it. I'd much rather be
in it, but that's not what we have, so I walk behind it. And
then there's a little door up here, and the person being baptized
walks through that door, and as he walks down, he begins to
enter into the water. First his feet, and then his
knees, and then his waist, and then he comes on down, and he's
in this water. And his torso is in the water. And then I put my hands behind
his head and put my hands up here on his arm. And by my own
power, I take him and lay him down in the water until you can't
see him anymore. And then I raise him up. That's
a picture of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. When
the Holy Spirit baptizes you, He takes you into the water of
His Word. And through the preaching of
the gospel, And the power of the Holy Spirit, He begins to
immerse you into this Word, which is all Christ. This is a hymn
book, H-I-M. And He lays you down into that
water. Until nothing else can be seen
but Christ. Just Christ. We are immersed. Isn't that what that word means?
Immersed. We are immersed by this one spirit,
by baptism into this one body. And when He's done, there's nothing
left but Christ. Nothing left but Christ. All
my soul. By one spirit, we're all immersed
into one body. John the Baptist said, I baptize
you in water. And he knows it, and I know it.
A lot of them went in dry sinners and come out wet sinners. But he said, there cometh one
after me, whose shoe latched I'm not worthy to unloose. He'll
baptize you with a Holy Ghost and fire and fire. He'll lay you down until you
disappear. A man's election is made known
as God immerses him into the body of Christ and he becomes
one with Him in his mind and heart. And this grand work is
done in conjunction with the preaching of the gospel. As a
preacher participates in water baptism, so he participates in
the spiritual baptism. Listen to what Paul said to the
Thessalonians. He said, brethren, he said, I
know your election of God, because when my gospel came, it didn't
come in word only, but it came in power and in the Holy Ghost,
and you become followers of us and the Lord. Turn with me to 1 Corinthians
14. When God immerses a man, when
the Holy Spirit immerses a man, he does it through the preaching
of the gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit, revealing to
you in spite of all the controversy that the one speaking to you
is a messenger of God. Paul was the most controversial
man in the New Testament. And they believed him way over
in this foreign nation in spite of all the tales that were told
about it. I tell you, my name's on a poster
like Saddam Hussein over where I live. I don't know about you.
And I'm always amazed when God breaks a man and brings him to
faith in Christ. You become followers of us and
the Lord. And that's always the way of
it. Now Paul begins to tell them
here in 1 Corinthians 14 that rather than trying to impress
men with your gifts and acting like immature children, why not
preach the gospel with plain speech? 1 Corinthians 14, 24. Beacon in tongues and all these
things. And he said this, he said, if all prophesy, And there
come in one that believe not or one unlearned. He's convinced
of all and he's judged of all. And thus are the secrets of his
heart manifest. How's he getting this? Huh? Through preaching. I didn't get
that through speaking in tongues. And get that through them other
spiritual gifts. They got this through preaching. He's convinced of all. He's judged
of all. And thus are the secrets of his
heart made manifest. And so, falling down on his face,
he'll worship God and report. He's gonna go away with a report.
that God is in that man of a truth. I'm telling you the truth. I
don't know how you feel about preaching, but this is what preaching
is. I don't know what you think revelation is, but you're getting
the revelation right now. Our Lord spoke to that woman
at the well and she took off her home. Away she went. She
said, come and hear a man that told me everything that I ever
did. Come and hear him. He unlocked
the secrets of my heart. And he convinced me that he was
the Christ. And I was judged on him. That Philippian jailer wanted
his whole house to hear. He wasn't satisfied listening
long, he wanted his whole house to hear. Not only is this man
sin of God, but his message is viewed as the word of God, or
in harmony with the word of God. Listen to this, 1 Thessalonians
chapter two and verse 13. Paul said, when you heard the
word of God, which you heard of us. You received it, not as
the word of man, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which
effectually worketh also in you that believe. His message is affection. His
message is followed by godly obedience. His message is followed
by an inward change with outward evidence. From you, Paul said,
sounded out the gospel. You become examples to all that
believe. You turn to God from your idols
and then you were made to patiently wait on God's return, on Christ's
return. How do you get in this body?
By divine election, by an effectual faith, by divine calling through
the hearing of the gospel. All right, here's the third thing.
What do people do in this body? First Corinthians 12, 13, the
last portion of the verse. They've been made to drink in the One Spirit. They've been made to drink in
the One Spirit. Now it's not talking about building
a religion around the Holy Ghost. People who stand up and talk
about the Holy Ghost, the Holy Ghost, the Holy Ghost, they don't
know the Holy Ghost. John, by divine inspiration,
tells us what our Lord said about the Holy Ghost. In John 16, 13,
he said, when he, the spirit of truth, has come, he'll guide
you into all truth. For he shall not speak of himself,
but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak, and he'll
show you things to come. He'll glorify me for he shall
receive of mine and show them unto you. And my friend the Holy
Ghost works in harmony with such things as Christ has purposed. And men who ignore these things
and despise these things and count these things unnecessary
foolishness cannot be saved according to the scriptures. Cannot be
saved because they receive not the Holy Spirit. That's not what
this is. They receive not the things of
the Holy Spirit for their foolishness unto them. Neither can they know
them. They ignore the plain declaration
of the Word of God. They will not bow to God's Word. I read an article in the Bulletin
this morning, a very good article on the Word of God. The Word
of God, the author of the Word of God, the inspiration of the
Word of God is the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit. This is one of the
things of the Spirit of God. Men won't be shut up to this
book. They will not do it, just won't do it. And this book is
inspired by the Holy Ghost. Secondly, they won't receive
the gospel of Christ, which is the revelation of the Holy Spirit.
And they will not submit themselves to God's messengers. They'll
follow a dream. I had a dream. I did too. But I didn't follow it. They'll
follow some idiot even to a mass suicide in a foreign nation.
They'll follow a man with a degree. One of the ladies in our church
asked her husband, does he have a degree? They'll follow a man
with a degree. They'll follow a man who pastors
a church with a large congregation. They'll follow a man who comes
in his own name. In his own name. They'll follow
him. But they will not submit themselves
to God's messengers. They will not receive the things
of the Spirit of God for their foolishness unto them, neither
can they know them. See no necessity in the assembling
of themselves together in the continual worship of the saints
or being taught by a pastor. This won't do it. But God's people,
those whom he puts into this one body, this body of Christ,
they all are made, not urged to do it, they're made, not they
ought to do it. I get tired of hearing that,
don't you? Believers ought to attend church.
Believers attend church. Ain't a lot to do to it. They
attend. They're all made of God to drink
into one spirit. That's what believers do, they
participate, enter into, drink of the things of the Spirit of
God, they become active participants in His ministry, some work and
some support this ministry, and some serve the needs of the congregation,
and some preach and teach. But they're all made to drink
of that same spirit. Believing the same things. Practicing
the same things. Submitting to the same things.
Rejoicing in the same things. That one body. Many members. And Paul said, does your ear
say because I'm not afoot? I'm not in the body? Does the
hand say because I'm not an ear? I'm not in the body? How do these
members get their place in the body? To do what they do. God
has put those members in this body as he will. And I tell you where you get
a problem. When you're a foot and you try
to be a mouth. My foot has never tried to be
a mouth. Always been a foot. When your
hand tries to be an ear. God had put these members as
it pleased him in this body. And let me tell you something
else about this body. All of my members knew what to
do. Huh? They knew what to do. My hand
don't try to eat. My mouth's made for that. It
knows that. You know why it knows that? The head told it. Christ is the head. Christ is
the head. He knows what the feet's for.
He knows what the hands is for. He knows what the ears is for.
Huh? One body. Oh, may God give you
an understanding of what I preached here this morning. Father, be pleased to use the things that we prepared.
We know how ignorant we are, how sinful we are, how weak we
are. And yet, by your Spirit, we know
that all things are possible with God. With us it's impossible,
but with you all things are possible. Be pleased this morning to open
the hearts of those that are here, teach them, establish them,
make them strong in Christ. And if there be one here who
don't know you, oh our God, would you be pleased this morning to
reveal your Son in him. We ask you for Christ's sake,
amen.